History
Texts of the Confessions
Primary texts of the major Protestant confessions with theological commentary.
This module presents the primary texts of the major Protestant confessions of faith, with brief theological commentary. These documents form the normative doctrinal foundation of the main Protestant denominations.
Augsburg Confession — Article VII (1530)
The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly. For the true unity of the Church it is sufficient to agree about the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.
Heidelberg Catechism — Question 1 (1563)
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death — to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
Westminster Confession — Chapter I on Holy Scripture (1647)
The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.
Barmen Declaration (1934)
Thesis 1: Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death. We reject the false doctrine, as though the church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God's revelation.
CA VII
What is the key affirmation of CA Article VII on the Church?
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The Church is the congregation where the Gospel is taught purely and sacraments administered rightly. Agreement on these two points is sufficient for unity.
HC Q.1
What is the answer to Question 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism?
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That I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death — to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. (1563)
Barmen 1934
What does Barmen Thesis 1 (1934) affirm?
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Jesus Christ is the one Word of God. The Church must not acknowledge other sources of proclamation besides this one Word.
The Reformers wrote confessions (1) to define Reformed faith against Catholicism and other Protestantisms, (2) to instruct the faithful, and (3) to establish common doctrinal foundations for the churches. Confessions are normative but secondary — subject to Scripture.
Ref.: Fatio, Olivier. Confessions et catéchismes. Labor et Fides, 1986. [UNIGE-IHR].
Texts of the Confessions
1 questions
Q1/1
What does CA Article VII define as sufficient for the unity of the Church?
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CA VII (1530): agreement on pure preaching of the Gospel and correct administration of the sacraments is sufficient for the unity of the Church.Score
📚 Further reading
Key references
Bibliography / Bibliographie / Bibliografia
Creeds and confessions -- complete corpus
- Apostles' Creed.
- Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (325/381). DH 125-126, 150.
- Athanasian Creed (Quicumque). DH 75-76.
- Augsburg Confession (1530). BC.
- Formula of Concord (1577). BC.
- Heidelberg Catechism (1563).
- French Confession (1559).
- Belgic Confession (1561).
- Canons of Dort (1619).
- Westminster Confession (1647).
- 39 Articles of the Church of England (1571).
- Council of Trent (1545-1563). Decreta. DH 1500-1870.
- Vatican I (1870). Pastor aeternus. DH 3050-3075.
- Vatican II (1964). Lumen Gentium. DH 4101-4179.
- Joint Declaration on Justification (Augsburg 1999).
- Barmen Declaration (1934).
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